Love Language

I’m not a sap I swear.

Bonus

by happy accident I finished this on xiao’s bday

their wedding spy x family / twiyor

“I always think you’re pretty”

feat. Ayato, Scaramouche, Thoma, Kazuha

AYATO

It wasn’t too often that Ayato would get a day off, but he made sure to free up at least one day to go to the festival with you.

You couldn’t help but feel self conscious of yourself when you walked alongside him. It wasn’t that you weren’t feeling your best- quite the opposite actually. In the days leading up to tonight, Ayaka helped you pick out your outfit and accessories for tonight. And earlier in the day, she and Thoma gave you a mini makeover.

Even you had to admit that you ended up looking really nice. The two probably worked super hard to get you to look like this.

“Ayato’s gonna fall in love with you all over again,” you recall Thoma saying.

You found Ayato already waiting at the festival entrance- and your jaw almost dropped. The soft lighting from the festival, paired with the petals falling about, your boyfriend looked absolutely ethereal in your eyes.

Ayato greets you with a quick peck, his gaze growing softer by the minute.

“You look quite handsome today,” you giggle, your hands finding his to hold.

“And you look quite pretty today too, I suppose this is the work of my sister and Thoma?” he asks, lips already curling up into a smile as you nod.

“But you know,” Ayato hums, carefully brushing away a fallen petal off of your head, “I always think you’re pretty.”

Turns out you were the one falling in love with him all over again.

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The Way of the Househusband

PAIRING: Jane x Male Reader (Romantic) (Fluff)

SUMMARY: After a long day at work, it feels nice to have someone to come home to.

She huffed, grabbing her belongings, and leaving Pubsec. Jane got into her car, sitting back for a moment. Her phone rang, signaling it was time to go home. She picked it up, looking at the contact name. “Always right on time,”—She answered it—“Hey honey, have a good day today?” She asked.

“Of course. I was calling to ask if you could pick up some paprika for the chicken?” (Y/N) asked her. Jane loved the sound of his voice, blushing ever so slightly. She finished talking with him and hung up.

She drove to the nearest grocery store, looking at the spice rack. While pursuing the spices a child ran by her, tears in his eyes, as he grabbed for his mother’s hand. “I told you to be careful about running around.” She said, putting a bandage on the scrapped knee and kissing it.

Jane watched from the corner of her eye. “So sweet.” She thought. “A family to care for…,” she mumbled under her breath. Snapping out of it, she purchased the paprika and drove home.

Finally back, she walked in, kicked off her shoes, and flopped on the couch. Footsteps approached her exhausted figure. “Rough day?” (Y/N) asked, petting her ears.

She smiled, leaning into his touch. “No day is ever too rough for me. I just…want to be myself for a bit.” She gently grinded her front teeth as (Y/N) held her in his arms. He picked up the grocery bag and walked back to the kitchen.

“I love you most when you’re you.”

While he was cooking, Jane took a shower and got dressed; putting on her lazy clothes and wearing her glasses. Before leaving their shared room, she opened her jewelry box and put on her ring; her second most prized possession. The man who gave it to her? Her first.

Walking back downstairs, she went into the kitchen and rapped her tail around her husband. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He asked with a chuckle.

“For being the one I can come home to.”

- Fin

★ Habits That Prove They Love You ★

!gn reader ★a/n : three small hcs per character ◕‿↼

★ Characters: Kazuha, Dottore, Zhongli, Ayato, Scaramouche, Diluc, Childe, Gorou, Venti, Heizou, Albedo, Tighnari, Kaeya, Thoma, Xiao, Pantalone ★

Albedo

He gets caught staring at you too much. Has been guilty of subconsciously scribbling down your name with hearts in a notebook. He likes it when Klee takes you along with her to Dragonspine. So much so, that whenever Klee doesn't, he tries to subtly suggest to her to take you along again.

Dottore

When he’s annoyed from thinking about you too much, he’ll bite down on something. This might range from his own tongue to a pencil.

He has named experiments after you.... ρ(･ω`･､)

He loves to show off any of his creations or discoveries to you.

Pantalone

Its genuinely hard for him to go out to any shopping center and not splurge on gifts for you.

He loves, loves using pet names for you

One of his great pleasures in life is seeing you get all dressed up.

Kaeya

Sometimes, if he’s alone in bed, he’ll randomly whisper your name in the dark.

When he sips wine, deep in thought, half the time, he’s just thinking of you.

He likes it when you tease him back

Kazuha

You can talk to Kazuha normally and then out of blue, he’ll get the exact inspiration he needed for the next line of his haiku.

At any time he suspects you’re uncomfortable, he’ll gently hold your hand.

When he’s cooking for you, he tries a little harder to make it taste good.

Thoma

The kinda guy who puts up positive sticky notes around the house.

If he’s cooking for you, he’ll incorporate cute little faces on the dish for you.

He also goes on a journey to find your favorite tea recipe and perfect it for those days you’re feeling particularly down.

Scaramouche

He lets you wear his hat if you ask nicely

Occasionally, he’ll say something so considerate towards you, it may at first feel out of character.

If it’s hot outside and he has only one cool treat on hand, he will, “absentmindedly” give it to you. ( the reverse stays true in cold weather )

Venti

You hum a song, and Venti will have that same song stuck in his head for hours to come.

When you’re relaxing under somewhere, like the Windrise tree, Venti will sit by your side for your company.

Every now and then, Venti saves up his bard earnings to properly treat you at someplace nice. (´∀｀)b

Xiao

He’s prone to quietly following you around when he feels anxious ( with or without your knowledge…)

It’s only through you he’ll try out any mortal dishes.

When you come to visit him, he always has this quiet glimmer in his eye.

Gorou

Seeing you after its been some time never fails to make his tail wag.

Gorou will be happy to give you free piggyback rides.

It may be too dramatic for him to say casually, but he would 100% die for you.

Tighnari

He keeps descriptions about his studies or flora encountered brief enough, but with you, he lets himself enthuse about it more.

He lets you pet his ears. Best privilege ever. ( ^O^ )

If you’re not paying attention, he might sneak a flower into your hair.

Heizou

Finds any little excuse he can to touch you.

He always has a lot to talk about with you, ( mostly regarding to his cases )

Watch as you never lose your keys, pens, or any other small items again.

Diluc

You two are out shopping, anywhere, and if you’re about to buy something that caught your eye, he’ll offer to cover the price. Everytime.

After an exhausting day, you’re the first and only person he wants to see.

He’ll also take the time to acquaint you with his falcon.

Childe

He completely trusts you with his family.

At times he has to leave abroad, he always keeps a memento of you on hand. Whether it be a photograph or a small charm.

When he can return to you, he likes to do it by surprise to see your reaction.

Ayato

Busy, but somehow he always manages to squeeze a little time for you.

He’s attentive to what you wear, if you have a button undone, he’ll come forward and happily fix it for you.

He never misses an anniversary or any other special occasion.

Zhongli

Sometimes, he recalls a particular story so that you might find it humorous.

He’s willing take a walk with you at anytime of the day.

With him, you’ll never get scammed.

Love Language

♡ Thoma’s love language is physical touch, and he cannot bear not having skin to skin contact with you!

A/N: Pure fluff with gender neutral reader! My first post on here hehehe~

Lovestruck Thoma who can’t keep his hands off you; oftentimes he doesn’t even realize it himself, but anytime the two of you are out, at the very least you can expect a hand on your lower back or your arms intertwined together. It’s just his love language, always gravitating to show his appreciation for you in gentle caresses of your cheek, a nuzzle of your noses, a sweet squeeze of your arm. 

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hiiii! i love girls too so,, let's talk!! may i request any genshin girls of your choice buying matching plushies with their s/o (reader), please?

summary ☾⋆⁺₊ getting matching plushies notes ☾⋆⁺₊ furina/hu tao/navia/yoimiya/amber x gn!reader this work is meant to be read as sapphic. short hcs. SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT GAHHH i died a little. but gods the idea is so cute??? absolutely cute??? AHHH i love matching things. i probably will write a second part with more genshin girls, but as of rn i needed something small to write as a break from studying <3 if you have any specific characters you wanna see next, pop in my inbox! men dni.

→ You and Furina get… many plushies. Not just one pair, no, because that'd be not enough, but few pairs at least. Matching octopuses? Yes, why not, they had cute ribbons and hats. A pair of teddy bears? Why, yes! You found them cute so how could she say not to them. The list goes on for a bit longer…

→ Navia and you get a pair of plush puppies. They are both so fluffy and have matching accessories, one of them has a small, yellow rose near his ear! You instantly showed her the plush because, somehow, it reminded you of her.

→ A cute pair of a plush moon and sun, for you and Yoimiya. She reminds you of all that's warmth and nice, she reminds you of the sun and the stars, so why waste the ocassion? Even her smile as she receives the plush reminds you of the nice, sunny, warm day.

→ How could you and Amber not have matching plushies? She is the one to find the plushies and she comes back with two, cute bunnies. One has… googles and a very interesting expression. The other has a cute, red cap and… also a very interesting expression. They are very cute, you think. You get them both.

→ Do you think Hu Tao would get a pair, too? I think yes. She scares you with a ghost plush when you're distracted shopping other things. She says the look on your face was priceless, really… You end up going with her to take another ghostly plush with a great plan of revenge. You will scare her back with your own ghost plush… but as of right now, you will enjoy matching with her.

Caught staring at their Lips

→ Masterlist

Summary: They catch you staring at their lips and how they would react (headcanons + short drabbles format)

Characters: Ayato, Childe, Diluc, Heizou, Kaeya, Kazuha, Thoma, Xiao, Zhongli x (gn!)Reader (separate)

Warnings: None - pure fluff!

A/N: Your girl is back! I finally managed to finish these drabbles I had sitting in my drafts for half an eternity already. Always appreciate any asks, comments or reblogs about this if you liked it. Let me know your favorite! &lt;3

AYATO

It wouldn't take long for him to notice your dreamy stare.

Would literally stop talking mid sentence as soon as he notices you staring, just to see how long it would take you to notice he was no longer saying anything.

Once you realized, he would just smirk and throw you a knowing glance.

He can't help himself, he needs to throw a remark and he would enjoy it greatly that he is making you even more flustered.

Despite him looking like he is entirely unaffected by your gawking, on the inside you would make him go crazy, his heart would beat so loud he is scared you would be able to hear it.

He hummed, snapping you out of your trance, making you realize that you had been staring at his lips for the entire time he had been talking. Wait? When did he stop talking? Oh, Archons. You felt the blood rush to your face and wanted to cover your eyes in embarrassment, but that would be admitting that you, in fact, had been staring at Ayato's way too soft and inviting looking lips while you wondered what they would feel like against yours.

"Care to share with me what you were so entranced by on my face?"

"... I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, so you admit that you were staring at my lips?"

"I… no, I–." You were desperately ringing for words and all you could manage to get out was a stammered word salad - much to the amusement of the man in front of you.

He let out a soft chuckle and he trained his lilac eyes on yours before he suddenly took your hand into his, brushing over the back of your palm with his thumb. You thought your heart was about to jump out of your chest any second, which seemed to be very much visible on your face as well, because Ayato's smirk grew even wider.

"No need to be so nervous, I was just testing you."

"W-what were you–?"

He quickly pulled you forward and pressed his lips onto yours, one of his gloved hands finding its way to your cheek, cupping it gently.

"Now that we finally got around to spending time together, don’t you perhaps think it’s being wasted by just staring?"

CHILDE

Oh Archons, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into…

He would be an absolute tease about it (because of course he would be).

Would it stroke his ego if the most beautiful person in all of Teyvat stared at his lips this way? One hundred percent.

If you thought you’d seen his shit-eating grin before, better reconsider that because the grin he would have on his face now, was wider than it had ever been.

Prepare to be flustered because that man will stare right back at you and not even falter for a second under your gaze.

You stood in front of his desk as he flicked through the pages on the clipboard you just brought over to him. You closely watched the way his eyes scanned over the paper with a bored expression, finding your eyes wandering from his eyes a bit further down to his lips.

You found yourself drifting off, fantasizing about what it would feel like to press your own lips against his. You were so lost in thought, you missed the way he kept looking up at you out of the corner of his eyes with a smug smile slowly forming on his face, before getting up from his chair and getting over to where you were standing.

“Look at you!”, he took your face in between his index finger and thumb and pulled it up in a way that you were forced to look into his eyes. “Staring at my lips like you have a chance in hell to kiss me, hm?”

“I-I’m sorry, I must’ve…”, you rung for words as he kept pinning you down with his intense ocean blue eyes, the conceited grin on his face becoming wider with every stammer that forced itself out of your throat. You hoped he didn’t feel how your cheeks had started to burn under his gloved hands and how fast your heart had started to hammer against your chest.

“What if I told you though, that you do have a chance?”

Oh Archons, this man would be the death of you.

DILUC

Would be the one to keep talking even if he notices that you’re staring.

Don’t be fooled though, he just tries to keep it cool but he’d eventually break under your gaze.

His face would turn a flaming red and become almost indistinguishable from the color of his locks and he would start to stammer and avoid eye contact.

Would probably inquire whether he had something in his face making you aware of the fact that you had been staring, flustering you all the same in return.

You would shake your head and attempt to hide your face while an awkward silence settled between you two.

He would secretly wish for you to look at his lips like that more often.

Sitting at the bar at the Angel’s Share you caught yourself being entranced by the lips of the man behind the bar who was focused on wiping some of the glasses dry, while striking a conversation with you.

As soon as he looked up from the counter you noticed a small startle in his composure before he kept talking again, earning nothing but a zoned out hum or nod from you in response as you were too busy with the way his lips basically danced a slow rhythm as he was speaking.

“Sorry. I-Is there anything between my teeth… or on my face?”, he stammered suddenly, interrupting whatever he had been talking about prior to that. Not that you would actually remember what it was about, embarrassingly so, because you knew exactly why he was asking.

“No, no, everything is fine.”, you replied awkwardly to which he nodded before quickly turning around, busying himself with cleaning up the perfectly arranged and spotless shelf behind him. You had been too obvious, hadn’t you?

“Say…”, he suddenly turned around again with a bright pink blush across his cheeks. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

HEIZOU

What gave you the idea that staring at his lips would either go unnoticed or end well?

That man basically has a sixth sense, of course he would notice straight away.

Would probably let you stare for a bit longer and pretend he doesn’t see you looking at his lips so blatantly obvious

He absolutely wouldn’t be able to hold back the smug grin on his face for too long.

Brace yourself for teasing, because you sure won’t hear the end of it.

As you sat at your desk at the Police Station you couldn’t help but steal sneaky glances over to your colleague and his handsome features every now and then. Especially his lips magically kept pulling you back to them and you frequently began drawing imaginary patterns over them with your eyes and were unable to take them off.

Heizou suddenly piled up some of the files he had been working on the entire day, grabbed them and walked over to your desk with a confident smirk on his face that could mean nothing good.

“Well, my favorite colleague, care to lend me a hand with a case I’ve been struggling to solve?”

“Excuse me?”

Him? Struggling with a case? Frankly said, you found that almost impossible to believe so you just questioningly raised an eyebrow at him. 

As if prompted, he pulled out the chair in front of your desk and sat down, putting the files on your desk, too. But much to your surprise he didn’t open them but instead pushed them aside and leaned in closer to you over your desk, intently staring at your face, the smug grin never faltering.

“You heard that right and you’re the only one who can solve it.”

You stared back at him as if he had lost his mind. He had never asked for help with a case, neither directly nor indirectly. As if spurred on by your confusion his grin grew even wider and you started getting more nervous by the minute.

“So… there is someone who keeps staring at my lips recently in a not so sneaky way. Do you think they want to kiss me or am I on the wrong track here?”

Oh god.

KAEYA

He would catch you staring pretty quickly

A smug grin would be painted on his face along with a flirty glint in his eye.

Similarly to Childe he would be a total tease about it - so better prepare for some remarks thrown your way.

Although he would just use it as a facade to play down and hide his own flusteredness.

He would most certainly be thinking about your longing stare for quite some time after, wondering what your lips would feel like when joined with his.

You and Kaeya sat together at the Tavern after work over some wine and snacks. While he was talking you couldn’t help but start scanning his handsome features. The way his soft hair fell across his forehead and shoulder and the way his frost blue eye wandered around the dimly lit tavern and the way his lips softly wrapped around the rim of his wineglass every so often.

As you kept looking at his lips you soon noticed that they had formed into a sly smile. Looking up you saw that he had his eye trained on you. Crap, had he caught you staring?

“Why, hello there, sweetheart. What are you looking at?.”, he purred and playfully bit his lip.

“Oh archons, stop it?!”, you whined as you clasped your hands over your face in an attempt to hide..

You were ready to sink into the ground in embarrassment right then and there, and it got worse when you heard him put his glass down onto the table and felt his hands pull yours off your face again so he could get a look at your flustered expression. 

A pleased grin was painted on his face as he moved so close to yours you could smell the wine he had been drinking on his breath and his lips were barely a hair’s breadth away from yours.

“Well if you’re so intent on staring at me like that, you have to live with the consequences, don’t you think?”

KAZUHA

When he catches you staring he would smile back at you, a light pink dusting his cheeks.

He would be so soft and nice about it, softly brushing over the back of your palm to divert your attention his way even more.

Prepare to be showered with words of affection and compliments in return.

By far the most romantic about it out of the bunch. 

Would be the type to write poetry about the moment and dwell on the moment for quite a while.

You and Kazuha were sitting together near the harbor in Liyue, on a big stone bank just outside the city. Kazuha was leaning back with his eyes closed and propping himself up with his hands. The mild ocean breeze softly carded through his white locks and his lips were formed into a soft smile. You actually would have liked to kiss them right then and there and the urge to reach your hand out to brush over them became stronger with every passing second.

He turned his head over to you and fixated his crimson colored eyes on yours before throwing you the most beautiful smile you had ever seen. 

He grabbed your hand to trace small circles over the back of it with his thumb making your whole body feel tingly and your heart started racing.

"Can you believe we've known each other for almost our entire lives... and yet we've never shared a kiss.", he suddenly remarked, a rosy blush playing around his cheeks. "... we can change that now, if you want."

You could feel how the heartbeat in your chest became more erratic at his words and your face started heating up. 

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel–", you began to protest, but you didn't even get to finish your sentence before you could feel a pair of soft lips be tenderly pressed onto yours.

"You're incredible!", he whispered before uniting your lips once more.

His words engulfed all your senses and you gripped his shirt in a futile attempt to keep you stable as the sensation of his lips made you melt like candle wax in the sun.  And if you were honest, you were sure this must be what heaven felt like.

THOMA

He would become so flustered once he notices and would totally forget what he was saying while averting your gaze. Who would have thought outgoing and cheerful Thoma could be so shy?

He would desperately try to keep his cool but would outright just fail and become beet red in the face.

Definitely would stammer and start nibbling on the mochi in his hand - anything to keep his lips out of your line of sight and his thoughts away from the way you just looked at them.

Should he ask you what you were looking at? Did you want to kiss him? No, no, he must be seeing things.

When you noticed his weird behavior you realized what you were doing and in turn felt the blood rush to your face as well.

You and Thoma sat in the patio of the Kamisato estate, eating snacks all while you went through the organization lists for some of the upcoming festivities the Yashiro Commission was assigned to host. 

There was but one problem, you just couldn’t focus on the work in front of you because you repeatedly found your focus shift to the lips of the man before you. The way they moved when he talked, the way he quirked the corner of his mouth up or the way he pressed his pen against them when he was thinking about something. 

Lost in scanning his features you completely missed the moment Thoma addressed a question to you.

“Are you still listening?”

“Hm?”, you snapped out of your trance, flicking your eyes up to meet his again. 

He didn’t miss the shift in the direction of your gaze and instinctively reached his hand out to his lips before it started to dawn on him where you had been staring the entire time. The thought instantly made him blush violently. 

He hastily grabbed one of the mochi lying on the plate in front of him on the table before shoving it in his mouth in a futile attempt to make the tingling feeling on his lips and in the pit of his stomach go away. How was he supposed to concentrate on his work now?

“U-Uhm… w-well. Do we need some more pa-paper lanterns? What do you think–”

XIAO

By far the one that gets flustered the most when he catches you staring at his lips.

Would quickly turn his face to the other side to escape your gaze and his cheeks would glow in a bright pink.

Would seem rather annoyed, but don’t take it the wrong way - his heart is threatening to jump out of his chest any second now.

No matter how hard he tries to shake it off, he has to admit that the way you looked at his lips felt rather nice.

Please stop him from teleporting away because he is just too flustered.

“Ahem…”

The man in front of you clearing his throat pulled you out of your thoughts and you flicked your gaze from his lips back up to his eyes. You were met with an undecipherable but stern expression of the adeptus that made your heart run wild time and time again.

“Would you stop that?”, Xiao asked in an almost demanding tone.

“What?”, you asked, genuinely confused at first but it soon dawned on you. You had been staring again, but this time it wasn’t you who caught and could reprimand yourself but instead it was him who did so.

“Did no one teach you that staring at others is rude?”

“I’m sorry. I-I didn't... I couldn’t help it–”

“Tch…”

He scoffed and turned his face away from you abruptly, but it wasn’t fast enough for you to miss the dust of pink that was starting to bloom across his cheeks. 

No matter how hard he tried to seem cold and distanced, around you he never quite managed.

ZHONGLI

He would mistake it at first and would think you're just pratically glued to his lips because you find his storytelling so enthralling.

But when he notices the longing glint in your eyes he immediately knows it's something else that has you so captivated. 

And it has surely been a while since he welcomed the feeling of someone staring at his lips this way that much.

And especially considering it was you, he would be genuinely flattered.

He indulges in the thought of what it would feel like to kiss you for a while, although he would not let it show on his face.

Might throw an underhanded remark your way.

“It was then said that Rex Lapis allowed the Lord of Geovishaps to roam the land freely until his mind fell victim to corruption and he began attacking those he had once sworn to protect, leading Rex Lapis to having to seal him back underground.”

Zhongli picked up his teacup and blew the rising steam off it before taking a sip. You didn’t miss the way his lips curled around the corner of his cup and how the tea dampened them before the corners of his lips turned upward in a content smile.

He continued retelling his story where he left off but your eyes and thoughts were trained on something else instead. You were so entranced by the way his lips moved while he spoke that you at first didn’t notice that he had stopped midway, looking at you curiously with a sleek smile playing around his mouth.

“Am I perhaps boring you?”, he inquired.

“N-no, not at all, it’s just – I was distracted.”, you stammered, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks.

“Hmm, I see. Do you want me to continue or are you perhaps more inclined to keep being entertained by whatever thoughts are on your mind instead?”

You could see the right corner of his mouth twitch upwards ever so slightly into a soft smile while he trained his gaze on your face, a fond and adoring expression flaring up behind his amber irises.

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being mistaken for a married couple [genshin men] pt.2

scaramouche, ayato, thoma

WHY DID PEOPLE LIKE PT 1 SO MUCH THANK YOU

scaramouche is ten times longer once again. ALSO KAZUHA’S GOING TO BE IN THE NEXT ONE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT PUTTING HIM ON HERE IT WAS TOO LONG

ayato

“That one’s too simple, I doubt she’d like it.”

“That’s way different from her size!”

“She’s going to go ballistic if you give her a hot pink dress for her wedding day,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Honestly, Ayato, I didn’t think you’d be this hopeless when you asked me to help pick out a wedding dress for your friend.”

“Oh? Do I seem to be an expert in this field?” he suggests, eyeing yet another atrocious dress. You contemplate blindfolding him because at this point, that might be a better option. Just as he reaches for it, you slap his hand away to which he laughs. “I really am grateful for your assistance, truly. As you can probably see.”

“Oh, I see alright-”

“Young master, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

An older man, noticeably crouched over from age approaches Ayato, offering a healthy smile despite his stature. “I haven’t seen you in ages–much less somewhere like here.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” Ayato replies, then turning to motion to you. “This is Matsukushi, an old friend of mine.”

“I worked under him for quite some time,” the old man explains, then glances at Ayato. “Though I work selling wedding dresses now, those days aren’t all too far behind me. It seems a lot has happened since I left…I didn’t realize you were engaged.”

Your jaw drops. For a few moments, you convince yourself that Ayato had gotten himself an engagement unbeknownst to you, but considering he prefers being a hermit within his work, you highly doubt such a situation. When you realize what the man is implying, you shake your head frantically. “No, no, that’s not-”

“Eventually,” he says before you finish. “But unfortunately, not for myself today. It’s for a friends’ fiancee.”

At this, you can feel yourself drop the several dresses that had been clutched in your arms, barely allowing Ayato to grab them in time. Was this a proposal? Or was he indicating the far future that had no use in pondering on now? Thoughts flood your head rapidly, making you spin. The old man however, seems to be unable to read the room and nods. “Ah, I see, my mistake. Well please do call me if you need any aid.”

And when he vanishes behind the counter, you’re left dumbfounded staring at Ayato. Sure, you’ve thought about it–daydreamed–about it countless times after the extensive period of time you’d spent with him, but never realized the weight of it in actuality. As your mind repeats his words on echo, its only snapped out of its trance when he places a cool hand on your head.

“Boring way to find out, right?” he smiles. “This one doesn’t count though, alright? When I propose, I’ll do it properly. And if you’re still unsure then, I’ll do it as much as you need me to and I’ll be as patient as you need me.”

You can’t help but go weak in the knees. As a result, you don’t hear him when he says that he does know how to pick dresses. Maybe he just wanted to spend time with you.

scaramouche

He knows anybody who’s heard of his name would never dream of him being in a relationship–much less any positive association with another human being. From his sharp tongue to his cold nature, it’s practically impossible to imagine him being close with someone else.

Yet he makes an exception for his minions. Not just any of them, no, he finds most of them unbearably stupid and bothersome. Specifically, his assistant.

You move to glance around the market. He follows you closely behind, dressed in a more civilian like attire much to his distaste, after relentless begging on your part. He sees no point in dressing so plainly when he knows most people in this foreign nation don’t even recognize his identity as a harbinger. Still, he silently observes you as you anxiously grip the bag of mora he’d given you.

“Here’s the list,” he says, tossing you a sheet of paper which you barely manage to grab. “I’m staying here. Be back in 15 minutes or I’m coming after you.”

“My lord, this list is awfully long to finish in 15 minutes.”

He knows, he wants to say. He would follow after you anyway. “Is there a problem?”

“Well, I guess we are kind of in a hurry after you blew up your office.” The harmless bite in your voice should’ve boiled his blood to no end, but he only finds himself rolling his eyes. At this, he frowns. Perhaps he was being too soft on you.

You flash a bright smile and wave as you disappear into the crowd of people. He halfheartedly shrugs in response and turns to find a decent corner of alley to stay around before your return, but his plans are interrupted much rudely.

“Hello dear. Yes, you.”

He scowls at the soft voice calling for him from another stall. Though he glares at the old woman perched in the flower shop, she only smiles, her skin wrinkling with old age. “Would you like a flower?”

“No,” he replies immediately, turning to leave, but she only lets out a soft laugh.

“I’m sure your partner over there would love it,” she says. “Our flowers are freshly picked you know. And spring’s in full bloom–you can’t get flowers any more beautiful than these.”

He wishes she’d shut up, considering that with a snap of his fingers he could order someone to pick up a thousand flowers from an entirely other region. Especially since the flowers don’t live up to his standards in the slightest. However, he quickly snaps out of his analyzation of the flowers, shaking his head. “We’re not like that. Don’t assume such a-”

“Ah, then you must already be married!” she blinks. “My apologies, I didn’t know.”

Even he’s almost at a loss of words, unsure if he should spit out foul words or simply walk away from the scene. But before he can even decide, she hands him a blue iris. “Here you are. A token of congratulations. These symbolize faith and hope.”

“We’re not-”

“My lord!” your voice tears his attention away. You bolt up to him, holding bags full of items that were certainly not on the list he’d given you. “I couldn’t help it, the groceries were 50% off, and we haven’t gone yet this week, have we? Well, if we have, we could give some to the others, and-”

“My, that looks quite heavy, are you alright?” the woman speaks up again and Scaramouche suppresses the urge to tape her mouth shut.

“Oh, yes, I’m alright, thank yo-”

“This one has what I need, right?” he snaps suddenly, taking one of the bags from you. You nod, and that’s all he needs before he’s walking off. “We’re leaving.”

“Ah, but we haven’t bought the other things on the list yet!”

He places the blue iris on top of the groceries filling your arms, close enough that you could smell its scent. “We’ll get it later. This place is full of mental commoners, and I’m seconds away from getting violent.”

You blink at the flower, opening your mouth to ask but he’s gone in an instant, disappearing into the crowd. You groan and turn to bid the woman farewell, and she laughs. “You two are such an adorable couple. You remind me of my old days.”

At this, your face heats. Unbeknownst to you, the slightest of embarrassment creeps onto his own face–not that he’d ever admit it.

thoma

“We’ll stay with you until your mommy and daddy come find you, okay?” Thoma offers to the crying child, holding out a bottle of water he carries in his pocket. You’ve always known that children love Thoma, but you didn’t know of its extent until the child calms down immediately, expression changing into a beam in mere minutes. You can’t blame the kid because even you yourself find yourself in a calmer state the second you’re in Thoma’s presence. How he does it, you’d like to know too.

Soon enough, you’re walking hand in hand with the little boy and Thoma, glancing around the city in hopes of finding a face similar to the boy’s. Unfortunately, you fail to find any despite Thoma asking around the townspeople and your constant searching. 

After a few hours, the three of you decide upon a break. When you see the child eyeing a specific food vendor, you smile and lead the way. “You’re hungry right? Some food might help all of us reenergize.”

There, the cook eyes your group up and down before turning back to his kitchen. “The family discount ended at lunch. You’ll have to pay full price if you want anything.”

You stare in shock (mostly of his rudeness) while Thoma visibly chokes on his own spit. Did he think you were married? With a child? The thought of it is bizarre, but you can’t help but think of how nice it would be. Thoma’s good at everything related to the house–cleaning, cooking, babysitting–he was practically a dream man for some people. But marriage has rarely crossed your mind so why did you feel so….This mere thought makes you look away.

The boy however, seems unfazed as he simply sits himself on one of the stools, happily swinging his legs. Seeing that it’s not the time to address the mistake, you continue to order dishes, ignoring the heat flooding your face.

Finally, when the boy’s mother comes looking for him, you pass him off happily and wave as they disappear down the street. It’s nearly sunset now as you feel Thoma take your hand. “Shall we get home, then?”

The walk back home is silent. Usually, the two of you indulge in a comfortable silence but this one has a cloud of unsaid words swirling around the two of you, leaving you obsessing over your own wishes. Eventually the silence becomes so suffocating that he clears his throat.

“Agh, now I feel bad…” he mumbles, his blond hair falling over his eyes.

You lift your head. “Huh? About what?”

“I think it made you uncomfortable,” he clarifies, sheepishly meeting your eyes. “But I was really happy when he called us a family.”

Your eyes grow wide.

He swipes at his red tinted cheeks and shakes his head. “Maybe I got ahead of myself, or something like that. If you’re not ready for it–if you’re never ready for that, I would never be upset at you. But at the same time, it would be a dream too–to be able to call myself your husband. Sorry, I naturally thought that you’d like it too and I-”

“I do!” you nearly yell, making him jump. “I do. Like it. A lot. I’d like to call you my spouse.”

The two of you stare at one another in surprise before you both laugh. His fingers tighten around yours, making your chest feel as if it’s about to explode with butterflies. It doesn’t take much to guess that he feels the same.

“Let’s talk more about this later, when we get home. I still have to make dinner, you know.”